The Sisters are so joyful!
Sr. Maria Catherine Flicker, Little Sisters of the Poor

“When I grow up I want to be a Sister. I want to help people, old people. I want to love Jesus, God, and Mary very much.”
These words were written when I was eight years old. Little did I realize then that they would come true. My call to the Religious life began at a young age. I grew up in a strong Catholic family in central Minnesota. My parents instilled in me a great love for God and generosity toward others. The first whisperings of a call to Religious life began when I was in 1st grade. A missionary priest came to speak at our Catholic elementary school about vocations. I remember distinctly thinking that God might be calling me to become a Religious Sister. These childhood thoughts stayed with me through elementary school. I was in 6th grade when Blessed Teresa of Calcutta died. I recall reading about her in our diocesan newspaper. The article recounted how Blessed Teresa at the age of 12 knew that the Lord was calling her to become a Sister. This phrase stayed with me because I, too, was hearing this call. Still, these longings were only interior, for I did not know any Religious Communities; my only exposure to religious life was reading the lives of the saints. Thus, as I entered the teenage years, I attempted to abandon these childhood aspirations thinking that this state of life was something of the past and not pertinent to today’s society.
After graduating from high school, I moved to St. Paul to attend college. Here for the first time I was faced with the reality of choosing my Catholic faith and beliefs as my own, rather than believing because my parents did. Again, in the quiet moments, the whisper of God came to me. These thoughts became so persistent that I went to visit a priest I trusted and sought spiritual direction.
It was also about this time that I became involved in St. Paul’s Outreach (SPO). I was amazed at finding other young people on fire with the love of Christ, and also many other young men and women who were discerning a call to the consecrated life. As I became more involved with SPO in a discipleship group, I began attending daily Mass and going to Eucharistic Adoration. I would find myself in the nearby church at Mass or Eucharistic adoration almost every day when I had moments to spare from my studies.
It was through an SPO discipleship group that I first met the Little Sisters of the Poor. We went to Holy Family Residence to volunteer and play cards with the residents on the 5th floor. The minute I walked in the door, I sensed that this place was special. The Sisters who greeted us were so joyful. After the first visit, I asked for a job application to work as a nursing assistant. I loved working at the home. It was so wonderful to see the Sisters devotedly caring for the residents with loving attention. I was especially struck by their care for the dying. Seeing the Sisters gathered around the bed of a dying resident praying the Rosary or singing the Salve Regina got my attention. This was truly the life to which God was calling me. I continued to discern, moving into the SPO Women’s discernment household and spending all of my free time at the Little Sisters' home.
After graduating from college I entered as a postulant with the help of the Labouré Society and many generous people to pay off my college loans. Currently, I am at the novitiate in Queens, NY, as a novice. Blessed be God! He who calls us will not disappoint. The Lord has truly been faithful in all His promises.